Olam HaTohu (עולם התהו) — the World of Chaos

Core definition

Olam HaTohu — the world of Tohu (literally "chaos" or "wilderness," from tohu va'vohu) — is the earlier cosmic order that preceded our own, the world of Tikun (rectification). "The Holy One would build worlds and destroy them" (Bereishis Rabbah): a world before this world — a spiritual one — the Tohu world, which collapsed in the shevirah (shattering) of its vessels [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary; 58840/maamar_018 :: Medium summary (page קלא)]. In the seven shemittot (cosmic cycles) of Sefer HaTemunah, the first shemittah — the Tohu shemittah — was from Chesed's aspect, while ours, the second, is from Gevurah's [58840/maamar_018 :: Medium summary (page קלא)].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Tohu vs. Tikun: three explanations. The maamar v'atem hadveikim unfolds the Tohu–Tikun relationship through three explanations of why "Tohu and Tikun are in the Chesed and Gevurah level — Tohu in Chesed; Tikun in Gevurah":

1. Abundance vs. scantness of light. In Tohu there was abundance of light; in Tikun, scantness — and this is not a difference of degree within one light, as with Atzilus's lights (where one generality of light is measured per Atzilus's measure, with higher and lower inside it — Chochmah near, Binah remote, Ze'ir Anpin through a window, Malchus through an aperture). Tohu's light is "a separate, wondrous light in value" to Tikun's — "like the sun's light to the moon's" [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary]. The first day's light, in which Adam HaRishon gazed "from the world's end to its end" — from the end of alma d'iskasya to the end of alma d'isgalya, including the Ein Sof worlds ("worlds without number") — is Tohu's root: the Ohr Ein Sof before the tzimtzum, "the world on its fullness was created," the great circle before the kav — which is ratzon itself [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

2. Unclothed light vs. enclothed light. Tohu is "the light's abundance and the keilim's scantness": the essential light shining in revelation as it is in essence, "not through hislabshus" (enclothement). Tikun, by contrast, is light through hislabshus in keilim — even Atzilus's vessels, in their lucidity, clothe and hide: "the light through the keli not in the light's essence's level" [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

3. The essence's inversion. "In truth in the essence of their ma'alah and madregah — Tohu is Gevurah" — Tohu's "Chesed" (that Tohu is called Chesed) is in truth Gevurah, "especially as fallen in the shevirah"; Tikun's "Gevurah" is in truth Chesed — Tikun being hiskallulus (integration) [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary]. That is: in levels' order, Tohu is Chesed's aspect and Tikun Gevurah's; in their essential advantage and level, Tohu is Gevurah and Tikun Chesed [58840/maamar_018 :: Medium summary (page קלא)].

Why the vessels shattered. The third explanation's mechanism: Chesed and Gevurah are ahavah and yirah; ahavah is in ratzu (running), yirah in shov (returning). Love's matter is kiruv (closeness) — but only when the closeness is from one in value; "when not in value," the revelation works the opposite — yirah and bitul, even "the keli's shevirah": as the king's revelation of loftiness in closeness works bitul in the servant who cannot receive, as "a very deep seichel the talmid cannot receive — causing the keli's shevirah" [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary]. Tohu's light was not in value to its vessels — hence the shattering.

From Tohu's vessels to Tikun. "The entire world of Tikun — that is, all the worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah — were built from the broken vessels of Tohu"; the choicest of the broken vessels became Atzilus, then Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah [58835/maamar_049 :: Chunk summary (עמוד סב)]. The fallen sparks — "the sparks of Tohu that fell in Nogah of Asiyah" — are refined from below, through the korbanos, ascending to be included in Malchus of Atzilus [58835/maamar_049 :: Chunk summary (עמוד סב)].

The soul's two kinds of deveikus. The maamar applies Tohu and Tikun to avodah: "v'atem hadveikim" implies two kinds of cleaving — "one not bringing to life — its purpose not life; one adding life — its purpose life specifically." Tohu's is ratzu without shov — pure running, kilayon and complete histalkus without return — "the deveikus with it no life"; Ben Azai, who "gazed and died," is Tohu's deveikus. Tikun's is the hiskallulus of ratzu and shov — "after every ratzu, after it shov" — "the requested: the shov"; Rabbi Akiva "entered in peace and went out in peace" [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary]. "Lo sohu b'ra'ah lasheves yetzarah" — the world was not created to be chaos but to be settled — is Tikun's charter: HaKadosh Baruch Hu desired a dwelling in the lower, Divinity's hamshachah below through Torah and mitzvos [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

Key distinctions

Tohu in order vs. Tohu in essence. In the order of levels, Tohu precedes Tikun and is Chesed's aspect (the first shemittah from Chesed; Moshe Rabbeinu, "from the first shemittah" — "from the water I drew him" — is from Chesed's aspect [58840/maamar_018 :: Medium summary (page קלא)]). In essential level, Tohu is Gevurah — for the abundant light unmet by vessels is, in truth, judgment [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

Tohu's light vs. Atzilus's lights. Atzilus's abundance and scantness are higher and lower within one measured light; Tohu's abundance is a different light entirely, "not in value" to Tikun's [58840/maamar_018 :: Medium summary (pages קלב–קלג)].

Tohu vs. Tikun in ratzu and shov. Tohu: ratzu without shov — deveikus whose purpose is not life. Tikun: ratzu whose purpose is the shov — deveikus whose purpose is life, "v'atem hadveikim baHavayah Elokeichem chayim" [15966/maamar_024 :: Summary].

Related concepts

Sources